U.S. patent number 4,456,140 [Application Number 06/396,821] was granted by the patent office on 1984-06-26 for plugging device for a bottle, notably a scent bottle.
Invention is credited to Reinold Geiger.
United States Patent |
4,456,140 |
Geiger |
June 26, 1984 |
Plugging device for a bottle, notably a scent bottle
Abstract
A plugging device for bottles such as a scent bottle, includes a
plug and a plunger. The plug has a bottom portion and a rib on the
bottom portion with an edge. The plunger includes a body, a base
wider than the body, and a shoulder connecting the base to the
body. The plunger is adapted to mate with an opening in the neck of
the bottle and is also adapted to be rigidly connected to the plug
bottom. The plunger is made of a material different from that of
the plug bottom. The base of the plunger is adapted to cooperate
with the rib of the plug so as to rigidly connect the plunger to
the plug. This is accomplished by applying heat to the rib and then
folding the edge of the rib back against the shoulder so that this
folded edge acts as an abutment for firmly holding the plunger in
the plug. The rib may be composed of a thermo-meltable
material.
Inventors: |
Geiger; Reinold (92200 Neuilly
sur Seine, FR) |
Family
ID: |
9260461 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/396,821 |
Filed: |
July 9, 1982 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jul 10, 1981 [FR] |
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81 13694 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
215/364 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D
34/02 (20130101); B65D 41/28 (20130101); B65D
39/0094 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45D
34/00 (20060101); A45D 34/02 (20060101); B65D
39/00 (20060101); B65D 41/28 (20060101); B65D
41/02 (20060101); B65D 039/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;215/364,354,320 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Norton; Donald F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sandler & Greenblum
Claims
I claim:
1. A plugging device for a bottle, such as a scent bottle, wherein
said bottle has a neck and an opening in said neck, wherein said
device comprises:
(a) a plug including:
(i) a bottom portion; and
(ii) a rib on said bottom portion having an edge; and
(b) a plunger including:
(i) a body;
(ii) a base, wider than said body; and
(iii) a shoulder connecting said body and base, wherein said
plunger is adapted to be rigidly connected to said plug bottom and
is adapted to mate with said opening in said neck of said bottle,
and wherein said plunger is made of a material different from that
of said plug bottom, and wherein said base is adapted to cooperate
with said rib of said plug bottom, and wherein said edge of said
rib is adapted to be folded back against said shoulder, thereby
forming a rigid connection therewith.
2. The device defined by claim 1, wherein said rib is made of a
thermo-plastic material.
3. The device defined by claim 2, wherein said material is
nylon.
4. The device defined by claim 1, wherein said rib is thin.
5. The device defined by claim 1, wherein said plunger is made of
polypropylene.
6. The device defined by claim 1, wherein said rib is circular and
said base is cylindrical.
7. The device defined by claim 6, wherein said rib has the
configuration of a circle.
8. The device defined by claim 6, wherein said rib has the
configuration of a plurality of arcs of a circle.
9. The device defined by claim 1, wherein said rib is
prismatic.
10. The device defined by claim 9 wherein said rib has a plurality
of faces and said rib has at least one face that is not connected
to the other faces of said rib.
11. The device defined by claim 2, wherein said rib has a square
cross section.
12. The device defined by claim 11, wherein said rib comprises two
generally L-shaped walls, each L-shaped wall having first and
second faces generally perpendicular to each other, wherein each
face on one L-shaped wall is disposed opposite from a face on said
other L-shaped wall, and wherein one L-shaped wall is not connected
to the other L-shaped wall.
13. The device defined by claim 9, wherein said prismatic rib is
triangular.
14. The device defined by claim 13, wherein said rib comprises
walls comprising tongues connected to the plug bottom, but are not
connected to each other.
15. The device defined by claim 2 wherein said material is
cellulose acetate.
16. A plugging device for plugging an opening in the neck of a
bottle, comprising:
(a) a plug comprising a rib; and
(b) a plunger, adapted to mate with said opening at one end
thereof, comprising a shoulder at the other end thereof, wherein
said plunger is made of a material different from that of said rib,
and wherein said rib comprises a means for rigidly connecting said
plug to said plunger in response to heat being applied to said
rib.
17. The device defined by claim 16 wherein said plug further
comprises a bottom portion from which said rib extends and wherein
said plunger comprises a body and a base, wherein said shoulder
connects said body and base and wherein said edge of said rib is
adapted to be folded back against said shoulder, when heat is
applied thereto, to form a rigid connection between said plug and
plunger.
18. The device defined by claim 17 wherein said rib is made of
thermo-plastic material.
19. The device defined by claim 18 wherein said material is
nylon.
20. The device defined by claim 18 wherein said material is
cellulose acetate.
21. The device defined by claim 17 wherein said rib is circular and
said base is cylindrical.
22. The device defined by claim 17 wherein said rib is adapted to
house said base.
23. The device defined by claim 17 wherein said rib has the
configuration of a plurality of arcs of a circle.
24. The device defined by claim 17 wherein said rib is a prism.
25. The device defined by claim 24 wherein said rib has a square
cross-section.
26. The device defined by claim 25 wherein said rib comprises two
generally L-shaped walls, wherein said two generally L-shaped walls
are not connected to each other.
27. The device defined by claim 24 wherein said rib has walls
comprising tongues connected to said bottom portion of said plug
but not connected to each other.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Description of the Prior Art
The invention relates to a plugging device for a bottle, notably a
scent bottle.
The plugging of a bottle, notably a scent bottle, poses a number of
problems which until now have not been satisfactorily solved.
To be effective, the plugging of the bottle must be tight,
expecially when the liquid kept in the bottle is highly
volatile.
In addition, the plugging device should be adapted for low cost
production.
Finally the plugging device must be safe, that is the devices
manufactured must exhibit the required plugging qualities.
It has been proposed to plug a bottle by driving, into a duct of
the neck, an elongated body or finger or plunger which is part of
the plug. At least one of the surfaces of the finger cooperates
with the plugging and is preferably frustoconical.
It is known that an efficient plugging is only obtained if the
plunger is of a predetermined material (or family of materials). If
the plug body is made of such predetermined materials, the plug and
plunger assembly can be formed integrally, preferably by molding,
which is the usual method of forming such devices.
Should it not be possible to use such materials that can be easily
molded, which is frequently the case because the plug body, in the
field of perfumery, must comply with considerations of an aesthetic
nature which cannot be satisfied easily by molded materials forming
the plunger, then a problem arises as to how to assemble the
plunger with the plug body.
In order to solve this problem, the prior art has proposed
providing the bottom of the plug body with a housing or shaft
bounded by a rib, and forcibly driving the plunger via its base
into the housing. But it has been found that it is not possible to
always obtain assembly of the plug body and the plunger with
assurance and that, in a mass production, some plugging devices
were faulty.
Moreover, when it is necessary to produce a plug which requires a
large traction to be applied to the plug in order to separate it
from the bottle, the friction resisting the pulling of the plug out
of the plunger the above described assembly sometimes proves
insufficiently resistant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to remedy such
disadvantages. The device which achieves this objective is a bottle
plugging device, notably for a scent bottle, in which the plug
comprises a finger or plunger, adapted to cooperate with an opening
in the neck of the bottle for plugging the bottle and, maintained
in the bottleneck by a rib projecting from the bottom of the plug.
The plunger includes a base of cross section larger than the
plunger body. The base is conjugated to the housing or shaft
bounded by the rib. The device is assembled by folding back the rib
portion protruding relative to the base when the latter is applied
against the bottom of the plug body. The folding back is carried
out against a shoulder formed by said base with the plunger body
and the folded back portion thus provides an abutment for the base
preventing the separation of the plunger from the plug body.
In one embodiment, the rib has the configuration of a complete
circumference of a circle.
In another embodiment, the rib is formed by arcs of the same
circumference, preferably two arcs, each of which covers a little
less than half the circumference of a complete circle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
In the following description which is given by way of example,
reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an elevation view, with a portion in section, of a device
according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a plug portion before assembly of the
plunger;
FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the plunger;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, with a slight
alteration;
FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view of a plunger;
FIG. 6 is a front view of a portion of the bottom of a plug showing
a rib;
FIG. 7 is a front view similar to FIG. 6, but of another
embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a plunger for another embodiment; p
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cover bottom adapted to cooperate
with the plunger of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 9, but of another
embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a plunger, for still another
embodiment;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a bottom portion of a cover
adapted to cooperate with the plunger shown in FIG. 11; and
FIG. 13 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 12, but for a
variation on the device of FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
The plunger 11 of plug 16 is made of polypropylene, which is a
material that permits obtaining a tight fit on bottle 15 by
cooperation between its frustoconical body 12 and an opening or
duct 13 formed in the neck 14 of a bottle 15 which is to be closed.
Plug 16 is made of a material different from polypropylene, chosen
by example for considerations of an aesthetic nature. A rib is
formed on bottom 17 of plug 16 which, protrudes from inner face 18
of bottom 17. Rib 19 has a circular configuration, and is thin and,
made of a thermo-meltable material. This material can be, for
example, the same material that forms the bottom 17 of the plug
and/or its body 12, such as nylon, cellulose acetate, etc.
Body 12 of plunger 11 also comprises a base 21 with cylindrical
circular outer surface 22 of a larger diameter that of the top
portion 23 of plunger body 12, which is fixed to base 21, so as to
form an annular shoulder 24.
The diameter of cylindrical surface 22 and that of the inner
surface 25 of rib 19 are such that base 21 can be introduced
without difficulty into the housing or shaft 20 bounded by rib 19.
The height of rib 19 is slightly greater than that of base 21.
To assemble the device, a portion 27 of the rib, which protrudes
relative to base 21 is folded back on shoulder 24 of base 21. This
folding back of portion 27 is carried out by applying heat when rib
19 is composed of a thermo-meltable material. This heat is
preferably produced by, an ultrasound tool. After cooling, which is
almost immediate, the edge 28 of the rib forms an abutment which
cooperates with the shoulder 24 of base 21, thereby positively
securing the plunger 11 against motion relative to the body of plug
16. An integral connection is thereby obtained which is better than
that resulting hitherto from a force fitting of plug 16 and plunger
11.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the frustoconical body 31, of
the plunger, is tubular, having a central cavity 32. The bottom 36
of the plug (FIG. 4) can be formed with a slight bulging 37 which
is in register with and adopted to be received in the end 38 of the
channel 32 opposite apex 34.
In a embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the rib 41 on the bottom of the
plug has a closed circular configuration bounded by a cylindrical
inner surface 42 and a cylindrical outer surface 43.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the rib 44 on the bottom of the
plug comprises two half ribs 45 and 46, each of which covers a
little less than half a circumference of a circle. The inner
surfaces 47 and 48 of the two half ribs are adopted to mates with
the outer surface 22 or 49 of the plunger base 21 or 51.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, base 60 of plunger 61 is of
square configuration. It comprises an outer face 62 perpendicular
to longitudinal axis 63 of the plunger body 64, and side faces 65,
66, 67, 68. Base is adapted to mate with the rib 69, of plug 72 as
seen in FIG. 9. Rib 69 projects from the inner face 71 of plug 72
and defines a housing 73, of square transverse cross-section, and
faces 74, 75, 76, 77. The connection between plunger 61 and plug 72
is provided by folding back the edge of rib 69 against shoulder 78,
provided by the face 79 of base 60, parallel to face 62.
In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 10, rib 81 on the
bottom of the plug comprises two portions 82 and 83, each formed by
a dihedron, respectively 84, 85 and 86, 87. The folding back of the
constituent walls of the dihedrons is thereby made easier.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the plunger 91 has a base 92 of
triangular configuration, bounded by an outer face 93 and three
side faces, respectively 94, 95 and 96. A shoulder is provided at
the periphery of face 97 parallel to face 93. Base 92 is adopted to
mate with a cooperating rib in the shape of a prismatic sheath 98
on plug bottom 104 as seen in FIG. 12. Sheath 98 comprises three
faces 99, 101, 102 perpendicular to the inner face 103 of the plug
bottom 104.
In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the plug comprises
a housing or shaft 105, of triangular configuration, adapted to
cooperate with the plunger 91 of FIG. 11. Housing 105 is bounded by
three tongues 106, 107 and 108 depending from the plug bottom of
the plug but not connected to each other.
* * * * *